Guidance on Taking Fatwas and Referring to the People of Knowledge
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Question:
May Allah reward you. The questioner says: Some people have become confused about taking fatwas after the media has exposed anomalous fatwas. Is there any guiding word from Your Excellency for students of knowledge and the general public?
Answer:
A fatwa is not taken from just anyone; it is not taken from any ignorant person, scholar, misguided person, or one who is guided. A fatwa is taken from those who are qualified, from the people of knowledge who are upright in obedience to Allah. One should refer to the sources and origins of the fatwa. It is not taken from everyone. This is from one aspect.
The second aspect is that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said to us:[An-Nisa 4:59] If there is disagreement in fatwas or opinions, Allah has given us the scale by which we weigh the correct from the wrong, and guidance from misguidance, which is referring to the Qur'an and the Sunnah. What agrees with the Qur'an and the Sunnah is the truth, and what contradicts them is error or misguidance, which we avoid. Those who know this are the scholars. One should refer to the scholars who know how to take from the Book and the Sunnah according to the legal and foundational principles. Not everyone can say, "I take from the Book and the Sunnah as I see it, or as I do not."
Taking from the Book and the Sunnah has specialized people.[An-Nisa 4:83] The people of authority, and the people of authority are the scholars and the rulers, each in their specialty. The scholars are not all qualified to take from the Book and the Sunnah and say, "I have taken from the Book and the Sunnah." Do you have the qualifications? Therefore, most of them do not have the qualifications. Matters should be placed in their proper places. Yes.
May Allah reward you. The questioner says: Some people have become confused about taking fatwas after the media has exposed anomalous fatwas. Is there any guiding word from Your Excellency for students of knowledge and the general public?
Answer:
A fatwa is not taken from just anyone; it is not taken from any ignorant person, scholar, misguided person, or one who is guided. A fatwa is taken from those who are qualified, from the people of knowledge who are upright in obedience to Allah. One should refer to the sources and origins of the fatwa. It is not taken from everyone. This is from one aspect.
The second aspect is that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, said to us:
And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result.
فَإِن تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًاTaking from the Book and the Sunnah has specialized people.
And when there comes to them information about [public] security or fear, they spread it around. But if they had referred it back to the Messenger or to those of authority among them
وَإِذَا جَاءَهُمْ أَمْرٌ مِّنَ الْأَمْنِ أَوِ الْخَوْفِ أَذَاعُوا بِهِ وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَىٰ أُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ
Source
الفتاوى لا تأخذ من كل أحد — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.